Today we’d like to introduce you to Serena Schulz.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins with failure. I went to university out of high school with the hope of being a marine biologist, and I came out of that year with mostly F’s on the report card. I went with friends to Seattle to get a job, and I met my ex-husband, I got married, and I started a family. I was nineteen. We relocated from Seattle to Mexico, and finally landed in Portland, because I have family here. I finally went back to school and graduated with my BA in Spanish Lit, and Liberal Studies. Then I spent many years jumping from one desk job to another, and my brain and body got bored. I wanted to help people and be more physically active in my work, and I gave excellent shoulder rubs, so I decided to study massage therapy. The East West College community was safe, and vibrant, and I decided not to leave the school community after I graduated and continued going most weeks to receive a student massage in my first two years as an LMT. I would later tell my students at EWC that you keep learning if you keep receiving massage, and especially from new massage therapists. I had a series of jobs in massage therapy, which each influenced my approach to body work- and my love of hydrotherapy and spa led me to my current approach to sports massage, I use neuromuscular and muscle energy work in combination with heat, water, mud, clay and lymph drainage to help my clients move joyfully and feel their best in their bodies. No two massages are the same, because I use movement to assess restrictions, which guides my approach and focus to that massage. I work now in private practice, and I teach at East West and lead a class in Costa Rica at the Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy in advanced hydrotherapy earlier in June.
In my personal life, I got a divorce, and came out as gay 2 years ago. My kids are now 19 and 24.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a long road. I struggled with being a lesbian in a straight relationship for 25 years. I repressed a lot of myself, and didn’t allow myself to really know my own identity for over half of my life. That part of me still needs a lot of care. Parenting my two daughters was a struggle – my ex and I were at odds on our parenting — our raising up of the girls, and parenting through the COVID years was especially difficult. Both kids will have lasting impacts from their brains developing during that time, which feels really unfair. The road to finding my target market for massage has also been hard- I am not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, which is ok, but I am still building my practice, and through a divorce and with the economy, I have also dealt with some financial struggles.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Therapeutic Massageworks PDX?
My business is a tiny cozy massage space in the heart of The Pearl in Portland. I offer one-on-one assisted stretching at the top of each session to assess areas of restriction and holding patterns and then I address areas of focus with a combination of deep tissue techniques, soft tissue work, lymph drainage, and spa to create a unique experience. I believe you cannot address the adhesions, restrictions, hypertonic muscles without a global approach to the body. My goal is to bring a client into a deep state of relaxation. This means my approach is highly personal, intuitive and unique, and not just to each person- but also each individual session. I am most proud of the massage work, and the special connection I have with my clients. Many of those who have been with me for years go into their deep relaxation state as soon as I pick up their foot. My most popular offerings are my 90 minute and my two hour massages.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Things I love outside of my work are; paddle sports, both dragon boat, and stand up paddle boarding specifically. I love cycling, and hand embroidery, and being outside in nature.
My main tools of my work are my hands, hot and cold stones, myofascial cups, hot and cold towels, brushes, aromatherapy, and a safe, soft place to land.
I believe massage is for all bodies. I aim to represent larger brown bodies in my marketing tools when possible.
I love living and working in this town. My ancestors have been stewards of this land forever. I am 1/2 Native American with my roots in the Columbia River. My mom is enrolled Yakama, and we trace our lineage to the Wy’Am clan up in the Celilo Falls area. I have specials for Tribal Elders seeking massage therapy, and big goals to do a massage project with the fishermen and women on the Columbia River one day.
Pricing:
- 60 minutes $125
- 75 minutes $150
- 90 minutes $170
- 2 hours $220
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pdxmassageworks.com/
- Instagram: @serena_or_lmt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdxmassageworks/
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y2Cx7RLu4rdXXQyDA?g_st=ic
